ESA finds methane rain on Titan

"Liquid methane rain feeds river channels, lakes, streams, and springs on
the surface of Titan."

"The dark areas ... are accumulations of smog particles that settle out of
Titan's haze on to the surface. This dark organic matter is then washed into
the drainage channels and basins where it gathers."


Wow.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4193043.stm

"Paul Neave" wrote in message
...
"Liquid methane rain feeds river channels, lakes, streams, and springs on
the surface of Titan."

Hi,

It is more than probable that this methan is not pure because is is unstable
at those low temperature.
It is mixed with dissolved nitrogen.


"The dark areas ... are accumulations of smog particles that settle out of
Titan's haze on to the surface. This dark organic matter is then washed
into
the drainage channels and basins where it gathers."

In fact a lot of the liquid evaporate, leaving hydrocarbons.
Here are some more information I received today from JPL that confirm most
hypothesis,

First, nitrogen can sometimes become a liquid at Titan's temperature, as a
dissolved one in any possible methane-ethane bodies of liquid, but mostly it
is present as a gas.

Second, methane does seem to be continually produced by some reservoir or
process we don't understand yet. Certainly it is present in Titan's
atmosphere at the 2-4% level.

Third, water ice, if it's present, and most people believe that it is, would
be rock-solid at Titan's temperatures and, in fact, would act as silicate
rocks do here on Earth. In the pictures of the surface, some of those
"rocks" may be balls of ice coated with organics.

Fourth, Titan at the surface is about 1000 times as bright as the Earth
under a full Moon. It's similar to the brightness levels at dawn or dusk on
the Earth.

Fifth, there do seem to be seasonal differences in the two hemispheres
(winter vs. summer), due to the seasonal circulation alterations.

etc.

Thierry
http://www.astrosurf.com/lombry/titan-brumes.htm




Wow.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4193043.stm

Paul Neave wrote:

"Liquid methane rain feeds river channels, lakes, streams, and springs on
the surface of Titan."

"The dark areas ... are accumulations of smog particles that settle out of
Titan's haze on to the surface. This dark organic matter is then washed into
the drainage channels and basins where it gathers."

I remember, I think, a Hal Clement sci-fi story set on a planet like
Titan, with low temperature methane/ammonia chemistry. Weird things
happen chemically..Have they seen any ammonia on Titan, out of interest.
Clement wrote hard sci-fi. It would be nice if he was right.

Steve

Anyone know where I can watch a full replay of the ESA news conference
on the web, preferably not in Real Player format?

---
Michael McCulloch

"Michael McCulloch" wrote in message
...
Anyone know where I can watch a full replay of the ESA news conference
on the web, preferably not in Real Player format?

I haven't found it yet, but there are some interesting audio files on TPS
website, general, but interesting to listen too
http://www.planetary.org/audio/planetaryradio.html

Others interesting material can be found on
http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules...file=article&s
id=1407

Thierry
http://www.astrosurf.com/lombry


---
Michael McCulloch

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 14:26:32 -0000, "Paul Neave"
wrote:

"Liquid methane rain feeds river channels, lakes, streams, and springs on
the surface of Titan."

"The dark areas ... are accumulations of smog particles that settle out of
Titan's haze on to the surface. This dark organic matter is then washed into
the drainage channels and basins where it gathers."


Wow.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4193043.stm


So does this mean what we saw in the pictures IS liquid?
-Rich